Guitars 4 Vets: Helping Veterans Cope with PTSD Through Music

Guitars 4 Vets: Helping Veterans Cope with PTSD Through Music

Over 800,000 veterans struggle with the physical and emotional effects of war every day. They are unable to cope with situations that most people take for granted. Simple tasks can trigger horrific and often unmanageable panic attacks, nightmares, and flashbacks. They disconnect from their surroundings and other people. Many are unable to recover without muchneeded help. But a chance meeting between two men 14 years ago has provided some much-needed relief.

For years, Dan Van Buskirk, a U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran, wanted to learn to play guitar. He was afraid to try because he felt that the PTSD resulting from his wartime experiences would prevent him from succeeding. But then, in 2007, Dan was introduced to Patrick Nettersheim, a Milwaukee guitar instructor. Patrick began teaching Dan how to play guitar. Dan discovered that the same strong spirit and will that helped him in the jungles of Vietnam also gave him the confidence to learn how to play music. Soon, both men realized that the self-expression and human interaction that Dan was enjoying could be a liberating outlet for many other suffering veterans. They shared their story and the gift of music with veterans at The Clement Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee and Guitars 4 Vets was born.

Guitars 4 Vets (G4V) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing relief to struggling veterans through the healing power of music combined with the support and understanding of a caring community. Since its inception, G4V has provided veterans struggling with personal injuries, PTSD, and other emotional distress with a unique, therapeutic alternative through a structured guitar instruction program. Every veteran enrolled in the program is given a brand-new guitar, accessories, and of course, free lessons provided by volunteers at VA facilities and community centers, called chapters, throughout the United States. Students learn at their own pace. Each chapter holds monthly group sessions where students play music and share experiences in a safe, familiar environment. Regular attendees build confidence and slowly reacquire the skills they need to survive. There is a local chapter at the Deltona Community Based Outpatient Clinic located at 1200 Deltona Blvd. in Deltona. You can call the clinic at (386) 575-5000 for enrollment information.

The G4V Program works! Learning how to play guitar helps suffering veterans deal with physical and mental issues and reconnect with their communities and surroundings.

If you would like to help Guitars 4 Vets continue to help our Veterans, please donate a guitar or make a monetary donation online at www.guitars4vets. org. Checks can be mailed to them at Guitars for Vets Processing Center 11933 W. Burleigh Street #100, Milwaukee, WI 53222.

Raymond Allen Jr., U.S. Army SFC (RET.) Volusia County Veterans Services 123 West Indiana Avenue DeLand, Florida 32720 Phone: 386-740-5102 Fax: 386-740-5101